"We're Verdants," Draven replied calmly. Then, with a curious gaze, he asked, "How about you?"
The other one, who looks in his thirties and has short brown hair, was awake.
He was still trembling with fear when he answered.
"I'm Hans. We are also Verdants, from Mado's Village."
"Mado?" Mother Venice repeated.
She personally knew him. Immediately she asked.
"Where is he? Where are the others?"
Hans' expression suddenly turned sorrowful.
"I don't know. We got separated because a White Behemoth attacked us."
"How? It can't attack a place with an Eatherbloom."
"Yes. But when we saw it, the Eatherbloom was already burned. We don't know how or why."
As they talked, Draven pointed his Morphos at the two.
Mother Venice, Naisha, and the others were taken aback.
"What are you doing?" Naisha asked.
"Show me your I.D.," Draven demanded.
The moment the villagers heard this, they agreed with him, asking for identification.
"Trust us, we are all Verdants," one of them insisted.
"Just do it," Draven said seriously.
With their hands trembling in fear, they raised their palms.
"Status!"
A green holographic screen flickered above their hands.
"Good, just to be sure you're not from the others who have a different I.D." Draven said.
Then, his expression shifted into a grin.
"So, your story about the Behemoth. Is it true?"
Draven's eyes lit up with excitement at the mention of the Behemoth.
"Ahm… yes."
"That name sounds strong. I'd love to meet one."
Mother Venice addressed the men again.
"Where are you headed now?"
"We... don't know. Chief Mado told us to follow him to a safe place. But we got separated," one of the men answered hesitantly.
Mother Venice glanced at Draven as if seeking his opinion, but he simply shrugged.
"You can come with us," she decided. "I have a feeling I know where Chief Mado is going, and it's likely the same place we're heading."
"How do you know that?" Naisha asked, her curiosity piqued.
"You'll find out soon enough," Mother Venice replied cryptically.
Draven clapped.
"Congrats! You're with us now. Feel free at home."
The two awake nodded.
"Thanks for accepting us."
Some villagers helped the two who were still unconscious due to their injuries in the chest.
On that night, the two newcomers finally regained consciousness.
The first was Deka, a man in his 20s with shoulder-length black hair.
The other was Gebo, a short man in his forties with brown, brush-up hair.
After two days of traveling with the Mother Venice tribe, the four slowly adjusted to their presence.
On the third day, Deka stepped forward with a request.
"Please, let me join the hunting," he said earnestly. "We don't want to be a burden. At the very least, we can help this way."
Naisha eyed him. "Are you skilled with a bow?" She asked.
Deka shook his head.
"No, but I can help carry whatever you catch."
Naisha gave a nod.
"Alright, you can join Gil's group."
Deka, still observing Draven's odd training routine, hesitated.
"Sir Draven won't be coming with us?"
They all turned to look at Draven.
He was standing beneath a large tree, shaking it violently until a flurry of leaves rained down.
Instead of letting them fall, he caught each one with swift punches, his hands moving in a blur.
For the past few days, Draven had skipped hunting entirely, prioritizing his agility training.
They just saw the other trees that Draven used for training nearly bare, their branches stripped of leaves.
Naisha sighed, crossing her arms.
"I feel bad for those trees. It's like he stripped them of their clothing."
She turned to Draven.
"Hey! Are you seriously not coming again?"
Draven didn't even pause.
"Not today, babe," he answered while catching another leaf mid-air.
"This is more important. I need to do this to protect you."
Deka chuckled.
"He's really into you, Miss Naisha."
Naisha smirked.
"Hehe, don't be fooled. That guy's a shameless flirt. You'll get used to it."
The rest of the group nodded in agreement, laughing.
With that, they start to move out.
Gil and Deka walked in silence, their footsteps barely making a sound.
Since they were paired together, they kept a steady pace, scanning their surroundings.
Suddenly, a small boar emerged from the bushes, sniffing the ground for food.
Deka glanced at Gil, who was already in position, his bow drawn, eyes locked onto the target.
"Twang!"
"Thwack!"
A direct hit—the arrow pierced the boar's head.
But instead of dropping instantly, the boar let out a furious screech, its body jerking violently. Blood was sprayed from the wound.
With a guttural roar, it charged straight at them.
"Shit! It's still moving?!" Deka shouted, stumbling back. "Run!"
Gil, unfazed, quickly notched another arrow, aiming for the boar.
"Twang!"
"Thwack!"
And the boar was hit once again, not in a different spot but exactly where the first arrow had struck, driving it even deeper.
The boar collapsed, sliding across the ground before finally getting knocked out.
"Wow, you're really good with a bow," Deka said while still sitting on the ground.
"Thanks. I'm trying to improve my skill so we can help Draven achieve our goal," Gil replied as he tied up the boar.
"What do you mean?"
"We want to live as humans." Gil looked at Deka as he answered.
As he did so, he noticed something above Deka, in the trees, and his eyes widened.
"Deka, don't move!"
Deka's breath hitched as he saw what was perched high above him.
It's a Rank C Black Basilisk. Its scaled body blended with the shadows, and its glowing yellow eyes locked onto them like prey.
Then—
"Ssssss!"
The creature spat a stream of black acid straight at Deka.
Deka instinctively raised his palm, ready to do something. But something flashed in his mind.
'For your family's honor!'
He wavered for a few seconds.
The acid was already toward him. But before it could hit, Gil lunged, tackling Deka out of the way.
Both of them crashed onto the ground, tumbling over the dirt.
"Ssssss!"
The black acid splattered on the forest floor, sizzling as it burned through wood like molten fire.
Deka barely had time to react when he saw something on Gil.
"Gil! Your elbow!"
Gil grimaced. His left elbow was hit.
The acid hissed against his skin, eating away his flesh.
Chunks of his arm melted, exposing raw muscle beneath.
Still, Gil gritted his teeth and forced himself up.
"No time—Run! The Black Basilisk is fast!" He growled, shoving Deka back.
"I'll lure it away! Call Naisha or Draven—NOW!"